A form to report pain assessment and monitoring in the oncology clinical record: a Delphi process.

Treatment of cancer pain remains suboptimal worldwide. In Italy, a law requires that pain be regularly assessed and reported in both medical and nursing records. To provide a homogeneous form to get exhaustive clinical information in the clinical report according to Italian legislation. A board, including oncologists and pain therapists, designed a form to report the pain characteristics of cancer patients in Italy in clinical records. The form was voted on through a Delphi process among directors of 18 clinical oncology specialization schools in Italy to obtain agreement on its content. A form useful for collecting and reporting comprehensive and homogeneous information on pain among oncologists in Italy was produced. The development of common strategies for pain management can be improved by using this tool.